WND columnist 'honored' by Salon

The far-left Salon has “honored” WND columnist Bradlee Dean – along with lightning-rod quarterback Tim Tebow – among the “hipsters” who are trying to make “fundamentalism cool.”

The article clearly intends to slam the two, as well as Ken Coleman, Jessica Rey and Brett McCracken, warning readers: “If you scratch the surface of these seemingly with-it young Christian leaders, you’ll see they’re peddling the same old sex-negative, hyper-conservative intolerance that motivates their elders.”

The article by Amanda Marcotte apparently was posted on Alternet originally.

She writes of Dean, the cutting-edge evangelist who takes the Christian message to churches, schools, parks and streets alike: “Dean epitomizes the Christian right overreaction to the fact that young people are ignoring religious fundamentalism in growing numbers. Many Christian leaders have taken to suggesting that Christianity should be more manly and aggressive to see the young, and Dean took this to heart, starting You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International and the Christian rock bad Junkyard Prophet, both of which embrace an over-the-top Harley motorcycle-influenced aesthetic.”

She accused him of offering anti-drug programs to schools, “but once he was in front of the students, turned into Bible thumping.”

“It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but there is a lot of chest-thumping,” she wrote.

Dean told WND he’s flattered by the attention.

His ministry, whatever critics may claim, gets noticed.

WND reported in June a woman who described herself as a teacher of the U.S. Constitution went ballistic over an effort by members of Dean’s group at a gas station in Florida to drum up support for its campaign to teach the ethics, morality and responsibility of the Bible in public schools.

The group, You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, is a nonprofit run that aims to reach out to America’s next generation “through principles of morality, true freedom, and personal responsibility.”

The organization explains its mission is to “equip our next generation with the Christian values that made America great through a unique avenue of music and educational event forums in colleges, schools, churches, festivals, and arenas.”

The goal is to present its message in schools.

Jake MacAulay, a spokesman for the ministry, told WND incident happened at a station in Davie, Fla. The woman verbally and physically attacked ministry workers Elizabeth Ilse and Chase Schomberg.

“Ilse was standing behind one of her ministry’s tables while distributing Christian literature to those visiting the gas station. She simply said, ‘Hello,’ to the woman, but after approaching and reading the sign on the ministry’s table that said, ‘Support Christianity in Public Schools, The Constitution, and Honoring Soldiers,’ the woman viciously attacked the cause by screaming ‘shame on you for wanting Christianity in schools,’ calling Miss Ilse a ‘bigot,’ and [she] stated that ‘Christians are the problem.'”

A video reveals the rest: A woman said, “You can put me on YouTube, because I am absolutely for our Constitution.” The founding document, she claimed, establishes separation of church and state.

However, when asked to pinpoint the reference, she changed her mind about the video and tried to grab the recorder or slap at it.

She threatened to call police, and then did, as she went into the store.

When she came out, she told the ministry workers to get away from her car, even though there was another vehicle between them.

“Get away from my car,” she yelled. “I’ll tell police you are not just harassing, but are assaulting me.”

Then she blasted the cameraman with her bag.

She sped off but returned a short time later to talk with police.

She didn’t approach the ministry table again, but the workers said police asked them if they wanted to press charges against her.

The rampage:

It’s just one of a number of attacks in recent months on Dean’s ministry. WND reported when a high school principal in Florida cut off Dean’s First Amendment rights mid-sentence. Dean later returned to the school to finish delivering his message.

Dean, his band Junkyard Prophet and the Sons of Liberty Radio were invited to the school by the school’s Spanish club. Dean was to speak to the group, while Sons of Liberty Radio planned to broadcast the event.

After being thrown out of the school, Dean requested that the nonprofit legal advocacy group Liberty Counsel step in to remind the school administration of the constitutional rights of the students and the speakers.

A letter to school officials describing their actions as “viewpoint discrimination” may have prompted school officials to rethink their position and allow the program to come back to the school.

Dean and his band were accused of “gay bashing” in an appearance at a Dunkerton, Iowa, school and warned by the fire chief that the town’s roads would be shut down to keep the band from returning.

But after a letter from Liberty Council, Dean returned to Dunkerton and spoke at the city’s library during the Dunkerton Days festival.

“We were given a victory by God’s providential hand and the example was given to this generation, and anyone else, how they can receive the same victory for truth,” Dean told WND.

“As I travel this awesome God-given nation, I come up with the same conclusion every event I am part of,” Dean said. “The majority of Americans share the conservative Judeo-Christian values I fight for. We can win this culture war when we fight together. It is leadership we are lacking in our cause, someone willing to risk reputation to set the precedent that our silent majority is waiting to join.”

WND also has reported on Dean’s dispute with Rachel Maddow and MSNBC. Maddow was served with a lawsuit alleging defamation for her references to Dean’s group. The case is on appeal.

In its rankings, Salon said of No.2 Coleman: “He’s still pushing religion in service of a conservative agenda.”

On No.3 Tebow, Salon gloated over his lack of an NFL contract: “Tebow’s career, while not a spectacular flameout, was a deliciously satisfying disappointment.”

About No. 4 Rey: “Rey makes speeches claiming that modern swimsuits show too much skin and therefore rob women of their dignity. Her solution? Buy from her line of somewhat more conservative bathing suits, of course!”

On No. 5, McCracken: “McCracken’s politics are still stuck in the misogynist, homophobic past.”